*** The 2019 Gym Rats Thread ***

Very nice. Have you noticed any difference through using any of this stuff? I was just going to get some BCAAs, not because they feel like they make a difference but I think they may actually work.
 
I am interested in these EEA's.

To me they sound simialr to BCAAs - can someone explain to me the difference in usage?

Stuff i use already:

Creatine monohydrate powder (whatever the cheapest creapure i can find)

MyProtein Whey unflavoured (with a variety of Flavdrops)

Pre-workout -whatever the cheapest - ('Tanked Smash' i am getting currently is 11.99 per 50 servings)

Myprotein Cookies - I go through a ton of these. My post workout snack every time. One of the nicest protein snacks out there imo.

BCAAs - Usually from Myprotein but I found PhD nutrition tubs on ebay for around 7 quid and gave it a go. I use them when doing my after work LISS training and during extended workouts.
 
I wouldn't bother, tbh (BCAAs or EEAs) - there are much cheaper ways of achieving gains than these sorts of things.

I would never stop anybody doing this (because there is a need to scratch the itch), but just bear in mind you could spend that money on a nice evening out and actually feel better for it whilst achieving the same sort of gains. :)
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Very nice. Have you noticed any difference through using any of this stuff? I was just going to get some BCAAs, not because they feel like they make a difference but I think they may actually work.
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Haven't used anything other than protein yet and multi vit, which is just a normal multi vit as far as I can tell.
 
Currently I use creatine, casein protein, whey protein, hydrolysed whey for intra workout, BCAA's, vitamin D3, omega 3 plus, and soy lecithin, and I don't even lift!
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Very nice. Have you noticed any difference through using any of this stuff? I was just going to get some BCAAs, not because they feel like they make a difference but I think they may actually work.
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BCAAs made zero difference to me, but then whey is pretty decent protein anyway. I cut creatine out too, but still get a tiny bit from my preworkout. You know what gave me the most gains. Eating well (ok, not 100% healthily, but getting the calories in) :p
 
Been back on StrongLifts now for about 8/9 weeks. (I feel like ive started SL every year!)

Current figures;
Squat - 67.5kg
OHP - 37.5kg
Dead - 85kg
Bench - 50kg
BarbellRow - 45kg

Diet is working in the sense i feel im getting enough fuel in to make progress with my lifts but being strict with the 'bad' stuff, looking to cut down on the alcohol till glasto (30ish days) as well to try and lose a little bit of the gut!
 
Will grab some more Whey from My Protein. Has anyone used Pre-workout in the past and have any opinions on it? Currently all I use is Whey protein after sessions
 
NooBish AbbZ said:
Will grab some more Whey from My Protein. Has anyone used Pre-workout in the past and have any opinions on it? Currently all I use is Whey protein after sessions
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I use Myprotein's pre-workout, when I remember, and I think it works. I've learned to relish the prickly face.

I also use their Impact Protein and their All-In-One Perform blend, as a post workout/lunch substitute.

The mix of Pre-workout and the All-in-one Perform provides a day's dose of creatine.

When I finish the Impact Protein, I've got a bag of their Total Protein blend to try - on the basis that protein from a mix of sources is possibly healthier/more effective.
 
Avenged7Fold said:
I am interested in these EEA's.

To me they sound simialr to BCAAs - can someone explain to me the difference in usage?

Stuff i use already:

Creatine monohydrate powder (whatever the cheapest creapure i can find)

MyProtein Whey unflavoured (with a variety of Flavdrops)

Pre-workout -whatever the cheapest - ('Tanked Smash' i am getting currently is 11.99 per 50 servings)

Myprotein Cookies - I go through a ton of these. My post workout snack every time. One of the nicest protein snacks out there imo.

BCAAs - Usually from Myprotein but I found PhD nutrition tubs on ebay for around 7 quid and gave it a go. I use them when doing my after work LISS training and during extended workouts.
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Your body can create amino acids from the food it ingests. EAAs like EFAs (essential fatty acids) cannot be created and must be obtained through the food you eat. They are what dietary proteins are broken down into. Some of those EAAs are branched chain, hence BCAAs.

The only viable use for these as far as I can see is with meals if you're a vegan in order to assist in hitting your leucine threshold/maximising muscle protein synthesis, since plant proteins are almost exclusively incomplete proteins (they do not contain the full spectrum of AAs). Otherwise they are largely pointless given you can just have a protein shake which accomplishes the same thing cheaper and with other nutritional benefits.
 
Biz.Kid09 said:
Been back on StrongLifts now for about 8/9 weeks. (I feel like ive started SL every year!)

Current figures;
Squat - 67.5kg
OHP - 37.5kg
Dead - 85kg
Bench - 50kg
BarbellRow - 45kg

Diet is working in the sense i feel im getting enough fuel in to make progress with my lifts but being strict with the 'bad' stuff, looking to cut down on the alcohol till glasto (30ish days) as well to try and lose a little bit of the gut!
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Nice work, keep it up. This shines a light on how slow my progress is on OHP. I've been doing SL since mid October and my OHP is now only on 42kg (having had to deload again recently). Bench is 80, squat 140, row 88, deadlift 150 etc. I hate OHP for it! I do have an old injury in my left shoulder and I wonder if that is hampering it. Want to get it looked at.
 
OHP is inherently slow to increase. They are small muscles and you can’t expect the same kind of gains. You also have to keep in mind that everything, even some leg exercises, goes through your shoulders. They take a beating.
 
Skidder said:
Nice work, keep it up. This shines a light on how slow my progress is on OHP. I've been doing SL since mid October and my OHP is now only on 42kg (having had to deload again recently). Bench is 80, squat 140, row 88, deadlift 150 etc. I hate OHP for it! I do have an old injury in my left shoulder and I wonder if that is hampering it. Want to get it looked at.
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Cheers mate, yeah OHP is tough. I don’t feel like I have any more in the tank at the moment compared with the other exercises!

My bench is always slow progress as well :(, nice numbers on the others.
 
I've been on SL half-heartedly (say, 2 times a week - mainly due to having to work through lunch fairly often at the mo) since it was recommended to me here in March.

Currently at:-
  • Squat - 125kg
  • OHP - 52.5kg
  • Dead - 125kg
  • Bench - 75kg
  • BarbellRow - 85kg
I hadn't done anything but squats and deadlifts to any kind of regularity before starting.

Fairly early on I felt the weights in some exercises were too light, and ramped up.

Now squats, at 125, are tough. I feel I lack confidence so I go down through the bottom section (from knees at a bend of 90°, to thighs below horizontal) as slowly as I come up, and the whole ordeal is hard. I had a dnf last week, but was able to do it on Monday. Sometimes I feel like the weight is folding me over forward, and as part of the lift I'm having to straighten my back back up, if that makes sense.

Deadlifts are the opposite. They're easy. I can't remember why I haven't ramped up, but my main purpose for doing SL was to beat my 195kg pb, and crack 200kg.

Shoulder press is hard, but fine.

Bench is the same.

BarbellRow is broadly the same, but I lose form in the last reps and pull in to my belly button rather than my chest.

I have to fit this into 30 min sessions and so can only have max 90secs rests between sets and, if the gym is quiet, I alternate squats&bench and squats&ohp to use the alternate exercises as my rest. It's getting tough to do this, and I'm getting close to not fitting everything in.

So my question is, would you/should I deload on the squats, and/or ramp up on the DLs... And was I wrong to ramp up the weight?
 
garnett said:
Deadlifts are the opposite. They're easy. I can't remember why I haven't ramped up, but my main purpose for doing SL was to beat my 195kg pb, and crack 200kg.

So my question is, would you/should I deload on the squats, and/or ramp up on the DLs... And was I wrong to ramp up the weight?
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Did you start the DL's at the same weight as the squats?? If so that's probably the problem. Also are you doing 5x5 or 1x5 for the deadlifts as often people make the error of doing 1x5 and it really not being enough, especially for a more experienced lifter.
 
Syla5 said:
Did you start the DL's at the same weight as the squats?? If so that's probably the problem. Also are you doing 5x5 or 1x5 for the deadlifts as often people make the error of doing 1x5 and it really not being enough, especially for a more experienced lifter.
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OK, so I've just worked out how to see my progress on each lift... :rolleyes:

Squats I would have had a rough starting 1rm to input, and it set me 60kgs as a starting weight. I ramped that up fairly steadily in March to get to 110/115 by April.

On deadlifts it started me off at 90kg and I've essentially been "rounding up" to the nearest 5 each time to get to 125 now. You're absolutely right though - I've been following its guide and doing 1x5.
 
garnett said:
OK, so I've just worked out how to see my progress on each lift... :rolleyes:

Squats I would have had a rough starting 1rm to input, and it set me 60kgs as a starting weight. I ramped that up fairly steadily in March to get to 110/115 by April.

On deadlifts it started me off at 90kg and I've essentially been "rounding up" to the nearest 5 each time to get to 125 now. You're absolutely right though - I've been following its guide and doing 1x5.
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30 mins to fit in all of the routine or are you literally just hitting the 3 exercises? even still squatting at 125 for 5x5 is gonna take up a good 20 mins with warmup and rest between sets.

Ok so do more working sets on deadlifts, 1x5 just isn't enough and really its one of the only things I fault with the program. Jump up to 3x5 for your working sets.

Also are you increasing the deadlift weight by 5kg per DL session? I suspect you aren't as if your squat went from 60-125 adding 2.5kg per session, your DL should have gone up to 155 for your working sets adding 5kg per DL session.

With the program when you fail to do your full prescribed 5x5 then you keep the weight the same for the next session and go again. Fail 2 or 3 times in a row then you deload the weight 10% and start progression from there again.
 
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